Accepting the Offers Given
by Tyem Marodyor
Summary: Lily Evans does like James Potter, but when the offers arise, she doesn't know when to say yes...
1. Midnight Walks

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any thing about Harry Potter and so on…yet.

Lily Evans looked carefully around the corner into the dark common room. She just wanted a midnight walk and she did not want to be sprung. She searched the room then concluded it was all clear.

"Evans. Fancy seeing you here at all times."

Lily groaned at the sound of James Potter's voice. He must have been hiding in an armchair, she thought. "What do you want Potter?" she asked him.

"You to go out with me." He laughed. "Nah. I can wait for that. I just want to know what you're doing here at this time of night."

"That's none of your business Potter," Lily replied sharply. "I'm free to do what I want to. Now, get out of my way." She pushed past him and walked to the portrait hole. She scrambled through into the corridor.

Lily took a deep breath of the cold night air coming through the window. Thank goodness she was out of that stuffy tower.

Lily walked silently around the castle that night, returning to Gryffindor Tower at two a. m. She always felt so much calmer about her life after her midnight walks.

"Back so soon, Evans?"

Lily jumped as she entered the common room. "My walk lasted two hours, Potter, isn't that long enough?"

"Hmmm…" said James thoughtfully. "Not sure about that one. I suppose that's personal preference. Now, what are you doing tomorrow? Going to Hogsmeade? With me?"

"As if, Potter. Just let me go to bed, would you?"

"If you didn't go for midnight walks so much, you wouldn't be so tired."

Lily was startled. Nobody but her and her dormitory mate, Nichloe, knew about her midnight walks. "How did you know…?"

"Ahhh, Evans, one day I shall tell you of how I am in places where I can't be seen. But for now, it's my little secret. As I was saying, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow with me?"

"No, Potter, I am not. Get the stupid idea of you and I going out, out of your head." With that, Lily strode up the girls' spiral staircase to her dormitory.

When she entered the room, Lily closed the door behind her and collapsed onto her bed.

"Back, are we?" her dormitory mate, Nichloe, asked sleepily.

"Yes, Nichloe."

"Good." Nichloe rolled over and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

For the past five years, Nichloe's snores had been Lily's lullaby. But tonight they kept her awake.

"Nichloe?" Lily said into the darkness after an hour of restless sleep. "Nichloe?"

Nichloe didn't wake up.

Lily picked up her wand and muttered an icy wind spell.

Nichloe shot awake, shivering. "There are other ways of waking me up, you know. There's the always reliable 'shake-awake' and…"

"Nichloe, do you think I should go out with Potter today? Like go to Hogsmeade with him?"

Nichloe stared at Lily. "You're seriously considering this?"

"So what if I am, Nichloe?"

Nichloe shrugged. "Ok. Just forget it. But Lily, I can't make decisions about your love life. You have to make up your own mind."

"You're always such a great help, Nichloe."

"You're welcome," yawned Nichloe. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"No. Because you didn't help me."

"Oh, Lily. Go with him if you really want to. I don't know anything about asking boys out or accepting their offers of dates."

"Yeah, I probably should have realized that. Considering you won't ask Sirius out, and you want me to do it for you."

"Shut up," groaned Nichloe and she feebly chucked a pillow at Lily.

"You've always been such a good shot, Nichloe."

"Stop insulting me."

"Oh, I can't now. It's helping me so much. You should ask Sirius out Nichloe."

"Make me."

"Note to self – make Nichloe ask Sirius out today."

"You can't."

"Can."

"Lily, you can't."

"You know nothing of my will power."

"Then I'll make you go with Potter today."

"Nichloe!"

"Hey! You're doing the same to me…just a different person." Nichloe thought for a moment.

"Although…if I did make you go out with Black…"

"Don't you dare!" cried Lily and she began chucking pillows at Nichloe. "He's a jerk!"

"Thanks! **I'd **like to go out with him you know!" Nichloe chucked pillows right back at Lily.

The two girls continued their pillow fight until breakfast.

They walked into the Great Hall yawning widely.

Nichloe gave Lily a sudden push and Lily found herself sitting next to James.

She gave Nichloe a desperate look, but Nichloe just grinned at her and pointed at Sirius next to her.

Lily groaned and stabbed at her breakfast. She could hear Nichloe talking about something completely random with Sirius. And, judging by the look on his face, he had no idea either.

Nichloe always did that when talking with boys.

"So, may I ask, why are you sitting next to me, Evans?"

"They call it 'friendly force'," replied Lily.

"Does that mean Nichloe pushed you to sit next to me?"

"Well done! The boy gets 1000 Galleons!"

"Huh?" asked James, not understanding.

"Oh, forget it Potter."

James was silent for a moment then, "So are you coming with me to Hogsmeade today, Evans?"

"No," said Lily bluntly.

"Oh, ok," said James, disappointed. "Who are you going with then?"

"Either by myself or with Nichloe."

James thought for a moment then leaned into Lily's ear and whispered, "Does Nichloe like Sirius?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

Lily began to listen to what Nichloe was saying to Sirius. She was talking about carrots.

"Don't you think carrots are great Sirius?" she was saying.

Sirius looked at a loss of what to say.

"They're so orange and my mum says that they help you see in the dark."

Sirius looked really confused now.

Luckily for him, Nichloe was cut off as the owl post arrived.

Lily's owl, Windsong, swooped down and dropped a package in front of her. Then he turned around and flew to the Owlery.

Nichole's tawny owl dropped a letter in front of her. Nichloe picked it up, opened it and began to read, her eyes scanning the parchment.

A smile spread over her face. Then her eyes began to sparkle.

"Who's it from, Nichloe?" Lily asked her.

"My sister, Annabelle. She says she loves her new job."

"That's great."

"She's even written about something funny that happened to her the other day."

"What does your sister do, Nichloe?" Sirius asked her. This was something he could talk about.

"Well, uh. She, um…" Nichloe stuttered.

Sirius waited patiently.

Nichloe took a deep breath. "She works at Zonko's, she does the unpacking of new stock, she puts it on the shelf and she evens gets to be a saleswoman sometimes," she said in a rush.

"Hey, that actually sounds like a pretty cool job," said Sirius. "Is she going to be there today? At the counter?"

Nichloe read the letter again. "Yeah, she says she is. Lily, do want come with me and meet her?"

Lily smiled. "Oh, yes please, Nichloe."

"C'mon. We'd better get going," said Nichloe.


	2. Good Taste

**Chapter 2**

"Nichloe!" cried Annabelle. She ran to Nichloe and hugged her.

"Hey Annabelle! Uh, this is my dormitory and best mate, Lily Evans." Nichloe gestured to Lily.

"Hi Annabelle. I've heard so much about you," greeted Lily.

"Me too. By the way, call me Annie," Annabelle said and also hugged Lily.

Lily looked around Zonko's. "Wow. You actually work here?"

"Yep, I sure do. It's like a dream come true. It's so much fun!" Annie blushed and looked away for a moment. "Except when I drop things…" she trailed off.

"What did you drop today, Annie?" asked Nichloe, in a tone that suggested this happened every day and Nichloe was expecting it.

"Just a really, really big box of Stinkpellets. I used up all my deodorant trying to get rid of the smell."

Lily and Nichloe laughed.

"If you go into the storeroom, you can still smell it." Annie smiled weakly. "It was so embarrassing."

The door to the shop opened and some people walked in.

Annie jumped. "Customers!" she cried and rushed to the counter. Annie gathered herself then said politely, "Hello boys. Looking for anything in particular today?"

Lily and Nichloe turned around and, to Lily's horror, saw James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew looking around at the shelves.

"Just browsing thanks," said James, looking carefully at some Dungbombs.

Sirius spotted Lily and Nichloe. "And what are you two girls doing in **this** particular store today?"

"I like oranges," blurted out Nichloe.

Lily jabbed her in the ribs to get some sense into her.

Nichloe swallowed and said more normally, "My sister works here. I've come to say hello."

Sirius looked at Annie who was setting up a stand for some Deluxe Stinkpellets (Stinkier than ever!). "Is that her?"

"Yes," Nichloe replied and looked at her feet.

Sirius looked between Annie and Nichloe. "You two could be twins. How many years are between you?"

"Three," said Nichloe.

"Cool. Well, I'll see you Nichloe." Sirius turned to James. "C'mon Prongs. Let's get to the Quidditch shop down the street."

James turned around and caught sight of Lily. "Evans…?"

"C'mon," repeated Sirius and he pulled James out of the shop. Remus and Peter followed suit.

Annie came over to Lily and Nichloe again. "So who were they?" she asked, grinning.

Nichloe kept staring at her feet. "Just some boys from school."

"They looked like they knew you."

"They do."

"Two of them have crushes on us," said Lily.

"Hey, I dunno if Sirius does or not…" Nichloe trailed off.

Annie raised her eyebrows. "Which ones?"

"James Potter likes me and Nichloe likes Sirius Black."

"Do not," said Nichloe and she gave Lily a feeble punch on the arm.

"Oooh," said Annie. "So that was Sirius Black, hey? Well, then, I must say Nichloe, you have good taste."

Nichloe turned pink.

"Pink goes well with strawberry blonde, Nichloe. You should have a pink face more often," said Lily.

"Shut it, Lily."

Lily grinned at her. "We'd better get going, Annie. It was lovely to meet you."

"You too, Lily. At least I know what you look like now. And what Sirius Black looks like," Annie added and she winked at Nichloe.

"You have to let me meet Spencer now," said Nichloe and she and Lily left Zonko's.

"Who's Spencer?" Lily asked when they were outside.

"This guy she works with. Annie has a major crush on him."

"Is he cute?"

"Dunno. Haven't met him yet." They walked up the street. "Wanna go to The Three Broomsticks?" Nichloe asked Lily.

"Yeah, ok."

They opened the door and entered the, as always, crowded pub.

"I can't see a table anywhere," Nichloe said loudly, over the noise.

"I can," said Lily grimly. "But we're not sitting there."

"Where?" said Nichloe, apparently not hearing what Lily had said. "Oh, there. C'mon." Nichloe began pulling Lily through the pub to the table. She dropped her at the seat next to James and Nichloe sat next to Sirius.

Luckily, though, Nichloe was next to Lily with Sirius on Nichloe's other side.

"Friendly force, Evans?" James asked her with a grin on his face.

"Friendly force, Potter."

Sirius and Nichloe were chatting. By the sounds of it, Nichloe was managing to hold a normal conversation.

"It must be pretty cool to have your sister working at Zonko's. Do you get presents from there?" Sirius asked her.

"Well, I haven't actually had a birthday or anything yet, but she does get a discount so she gets me little things, like boxes of Stinkpellets and things." Nichloe looked like she'd said too much and stared at the table.

"This was accidental, then, you having to sit next to me, right Evans?" said James.

"Completely accidental. There were no other tables so we had to sit here. I would have rather gone to the Hog's Head then be stuck here next to you."

"Do you hate me that much Evans?" James looked at Lily.

Lily turned away from him so that he wouldn't be able to see the truth in her eyes. "Yes, Potter, I do."

"What a pity," said James, disappointed.

"_C'est dommage_," murmured Lily.

"What the? Are you speaking in another language?" James asked her.

"Yes, I am Potter. They call it French. I took it as a language when I attended a Muggle school."

"Well, what does it mean?"

"It means, 'what a pity'."

James looked confused.

"Be proud of yourself, Potter. You can write home and say you can speak in French," said Lily sarcastically.

"But I can't."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't even know **why** I talk to you. You never understand anything." Lily tugged at Nichloe's robes. "C'mon Nichloe. Let's get back to the castle."

Nichloe looked at her, smiled and nodded. "I have to go Sirius. See you around." She stood up and followed Lily out of the pub.


	3. The Battering Ram and Babies

**Chapter 3**

"Hey, Lily, you never told me what was in that package that you got this morning," said Nichloe that night.

"Oh," said Lily slowly. "So I didn't."

"So…" Nichloe prompted. "What was in it?"

"Nothing," said Lily quickly.

"C'mon Lily. What was it?"

"Oh, they were just some old baby photos and baby clothes…and things…"

"Like?"

"Like I said, nothing."

"Well, show me the baby photos at least." Nichloe thought for a moment. "Hang on. Why are you getting sent your baby photos?"

Lily started crying. "Because, Petunia convinced Mum that since I'm never at home anymore, she should have my bedroom and that she should get rid of any evidence that I was ever there."

"Oh, Lily. That's not nice," said Nichloe and she put her arm around her friend. "So what are you gonna do with all these photos and clothes and things…whatever those things are…?"

"I suppose I'll just have to keep them in my trunk and make sure no-one gets a hold of them. But I might keep one or two of the photos in my bag," said Lily, wiping away her tears.

"None of these photos are of you naked are they?" asked Nichloe quickly.

Lily laughed. "No."

"Thank goodness." Nichloe let out a deep breath. "Hey, do you wanna stick these photos up around the dormitory?"

"You want photos of baby me around the dormitory?"

"Wait, can I take that offer back?"

"Too late," replied Lily, already sticking some of the photos to the wall.

"Well, can mine join yours?"

"What?" said Lily, disbelievingly as she turned around.

Nichloe grinned at her and held up handfuls of pictures of herself.

"Let's get sticking!" cried Lily and they stuck their baby pictures around the room.

Nichloe had grown up with a wizarding family so her pictures moved but since Lily was a Muggleborn, hers stayed put.

When the two girls were finished, they stood in the centre of their circular dormitory and surveyed their work.

Someone knocked on the door.

Lily and Nichloe looked at each other, bewildered.

Nichloe walked over to the door and opened it a crack so that whoever was outside wouldn't be able to see in and see the pictures.

"Who is it?"

"James Potter and Sirius Black," said Sirius proudly. "May we come in?"

Nichloe looked at Lily, shocked.

Lily sent Nichloe the same look. "No!" Lily squeaked.

"And why not?" came James' voice through the crack.

"Because these are the girls' dormitories!" cried Nichloe.

Outside, Sirius looked at James. "So they are," he said to him.

"How did you get up the stairs anyway?" asked Nichloe. "They're meant to turn into a slide when a boy starts climbing them."

"Well, you see, Nichloe, my dear, both James and I hopped onto James' broom and flew quite gracefully up here."

"Aren't you proud of us?" asked James.

"No," said Lily. "And you can't come in."

"Why not?"

"Because our decorating scheme won't please you," said Lily.

"That's not a good enough reason. Padfoot? The battering ram please."

"What the hell is a battering ram?" Nichloe asked Lily.

"It's something people use to knock down doors." Lily suddenly realized what the boys were going to do. "Get away from the door Nichloe!" she yelled at her friend.

Nichloe screamed and dived under her bed as there was a loud thud from the door and suddenly fell through the doorway and onto the floor.

James and Sirius entered the dormitory and looked around.

"Hmmm…" said Sirius. "Obsessed with babies, girls are."

**Thank you to all people who have been reading my story so far and thanks to apotterlover who submitted the first ever comment. Even though it was only three words long, I appreciated it and it inspired me to keep writing even if it's only for you, apotterlover. **

**Please comment on my story, I'd love to know what you guys think I can do next and if you think I can make the story any better. KEEP ON READING, FOLKS! (And reviewing if you can!)**


	4. Dogs and Bunny Suits

**Chapter 4**

The next morning, Lily and Nichloe woke at the same time and walked down to breakfast together. Nichloe sat next to Sirius but Lily sat on her other side so she didn't have to sit next to James.

James leaned back in his seat and grinned at her. He ran his hand through his hair. "No friendly force this morning, Evans?"

"No friendly force, Potter," replied Lily.

After breakfast, Nichloe and Sirius walked to Charms together with Lily following at a distance.

Today they were talking about dogs, which Sirius seemed very interested in.

"I have a dog at home, you know. He's a lovely little border collie and his name's Rumpus. He's ever so cute. He's only a year old," said Nichloe.

"I love dogs and they seem to like me. We have so much in common," Sirius said.

"Like what?"

Lily was amazed. Nichloe was actually having a real conversation with Sirius.

"Well, we both hate storms and like to run and hide when they come."

"You hate storms? Same here. Especially the ones with thunder and lightning. Little Rumpus doesn't like them either. He hides with me under my bed." Nichloe suddenly turned pink; as if that was something she wasn't supposed to say.

Sirius smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry," he whispered to her. "I do that too."

Nichloe smiled at him, then turned slightly to Lily and gave her a thumbs-up.

Lily rolled her eyes.

James came up behind her. "Hey Lily, what are you doing this weekend?"

Lily turned to look at him. "Something that doesn't involve you, Potter."

"Oh. What a – _C'est dommage_," he said, correcting himself.

"Well done."

Remus walked behind James. "That picture was hilarious, Prongs," he said patting James' back.

"What picture?" Lily asked curiously, outside the Charms classroom.

"Nothing," said James quickly and he looked at his feet.

"This one," said Peter excitedly, reaching into James' bag and pulling out a photo.

"Wormtail!" said James desperately, but Peter had already given it to Lily.

She looked at it and anyone, even people who didn't know her, could tell she was getting furious. "Potter," she said tersely, "this photo is of me."

"I know," said James, still looking at his feet.

"This photo is of me when I was five and wearing a bunny suit."

"I know."

"Why do you have this photo, Potter? More importantly, how did you get it?"

"I took it from your room yesterday," James admitted.

Lily looked at him.

James looked up into her face and saw that her usually sparkling green eyes were like emerald ice. "Sorry?" he asked.

Lily raised her hand and with a deafening smack, slapped James across the face. Then she whipped around and took off down the corridor.

"Lily? Lily! Lily, stop!" cried Nichloe and she chased after her friend.

Sirius was left standing holding Nichloe's bag, which he had offered to carry. "Those two are causing us some difficulties, Prongs."

"Lily? Lily, are you ok?" asked Nichloe after finding Lily in an empty classroom.

"Do I look ok?" said Lily, looking up, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No, I guess not," replied Nichloe. "Is it 'cause of what James did?"

"Of course it's because of what James did! That stupid barstard took a photo of me from my room and then showed it to other people! I can't believe he would do such a thing." Lily put her face back into her hands.

Nichloe put her arm around her friend. "Hey, it'll be ok. Just don't worry 'bout it."

"How can I not worry about it?"

Nichloe shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Why don't you accept one of his offers though?"

Lily looked at her friend in shock. "He just fully embarrassed me and you want me to go out with him? Are you kidding me Nichloe?"

"I'm just saying. He caught up with me while I was trying to catch you and asked me if I could ask you…"

"Hang on. Let me comprehend that." Lily thought for a moment. "Ok. Go on."

"If I could ask you if you wanted to watch him play Quidditch this evening."

"He wants me to watch him play Quidditch?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so; otherwise he wouldn't have asked you would he?"

"No I guess not." Lily looked at her hands. "Do you think I should accept?"

"I dunno, Lily. It's your own decision." Nichloe stood up. "I'd better get back to Charms. I might see you." Nichloe left the room.

Lily was left alone with her thoughts.


	5. Girls, Broomsticks and Wronski Feints

**Chapter 5**

James shouldered his broomstick and walked down to the Quidditch pitch that evening at five o'clock. He knew Sirius would be in the stands and he'd already offered to let Sirius have a go on his Nimbus 1000.

The Quidditch pitch was a funny sort of green in the setting sun.

As Quidditch captain, James released the balls and the team began to practice.

James was circling aimlessly, only half-heartedly looking for the Snitch, when he heard his name being called.

"James! Prongs!" called Sirius.

James looked over at him and saw him pointing discreetly at the other side of the stand.

James looked to where he was pointing and saw Lily Evans sitting there. He grinned and his heart leapt. Now he was determined to show his skills for Lily.

His sharp hazel eyes quickly spotted a glint of gold from near one of the Beater's ankles. He sped towards it and captured the Snitch easily.

He let it go and gave it a minute's head start. He looked over at the stands and still saw Lily. He wasn't imagining things, he thought. She really was there.

He turned back to the pitch. He soon spotted the Snitch again and sped towards it. He caught it nimbly just as it tried to get away.

After an hour, he called out to his team mates, "Ok guys. Great job today. We're all doing really well."

His team smiled at him and landed onto the pitch. They all headed towards the change rooms.

James landed skilfully and motioned for Sirius to come down.

Lily came down after Sirius.

"Can I have a go now, mate? Cool," said Sirius, taking the broomstick from James. He mounted it carefully and took off into the sky. He did a few tricks in the air, spinning around and so on.

James looked at Lily who was watching Sirius carefully. "You're quite good, Potter."

"Haven't you ever seen me at the games?" James asked her.

"Not really," said Lily, still watching Sirius. "I tend to bring a book down with me."

James didn't know what to say.

"It must feel wonderful to be flying," said Lily wistfully.

"It is," said James.

"But I could never do it. I wouldn't know how."

"Do you want a go?" James asked her, looking at Lily.

Lily turned to him. She slowly smiled. "As if you'd let me ride your most precious possession."

"I would. As long as I'm on it with you."

"Well, I'm glad you gave me that choice. Otherwise I would have said no."

"So do you want a go?"

Lily smiled. Her green eyes sparkled in the fading light. "I wouldn't mind one."

James looked up at Sirius. "Oi! Padfoot! Get down here."

Sirius expertly landed and handed James his broom. "That is such a smooth ride," he commented.

"Ok, Lily. Just put on leg over it and you're on!" James told her, excited about the prospect of riding his broomstick with his long time crush.

Lily nervously put her leg over the hovering broomstick.

James got on in front of her. "Hold on tight," he said to Lily.

She grasped his waist tightly.

"Not that tight," James gasped.

"Oh. Sorry," apologized Lily.

James gently took off from the ground and flew a few feet above the ground.

"How come we're not as high as you were?" Lily asked.

"I figured…well, do you want to go higher?"

"Oh, yes," said Lily excitedly.

James flew the broom higher into the sky, the wind whistling in his ears.

"This is fantastic!" said Lily over the wind.

"Do you want to do something fun?" James asked.

"What?"

James pointed the broomstick down to the ground. They began falling rapidly.

Lily could see the ground coming closer and closer. She closed her eyes, steeled for the impact, and then felt like she was rising again.

She opened her eyes slowly and found that she and James were flying into the sky again.

"What happened then?' she asked breathlessly.

"Evans, they call that the Wronski Feint."

After ten more minutes, James brought the broomstick back to the ground.

Lily got off and took a shaky step. "That was amazing. I should ride broomsticks again."

"Ask me any time and I'll let you have a go, Evans."

"Really, Potter? Could I?"

James nodded.

Lily squealed with delight and hugged him.

James looked shocked at first then hugged Lily gently back.

Lily suddenly realized whose arms she was in and stepped back. "Umm…well, we'd better get to dinner," she said awkwardly and began to walk back to the castle.

Sirius and James followed her, James shouldering his broomstick.

"Well, that went well," he said to Sirius.

"Yes, very well. It makes you wonder if she's forgiven you for what you did this morning."

"What did I…oh." James suddenly called out to Lily, "Hey Evans; does this make up for what I did?"

Lily looked at him. She thought for a moment then said, "Yes Potter, it does." She kept walking.

"Well, that went even better," said James, running his hand through his hair.


	6. Christmas Wants and Risks

**Chapter 6**

Lily yawned and stretched early Saturday morning. She dressed slowly and took extra time to brush her hair. Then she stretched again and walked down to the common room.

"Morning Evans," came James' familiar voice from an armchair.

Lily didn't answer and scrambled out the portrait hole into the corridor. She took a deep breath of the breeze blowing through the open window.

James followed Lily. "Is there a reason why you're not talking to me?" he asked her.

"No," answered Lily, sleepily. "I just didn't feel like talking to you."

"Then why are you talking to me now?"

"I don't know Potter. Maybe I'm not actually Lily Evans but someone else who drank a Polyjuice Potion with my hair in it."

James looked taken aback. "Well, what's something I could ask that would make sure I know it's you?"

"Favourite sweets and Christmas presents are always good."

"But I don't know the correct answer for either of those."

"Then you're stuffed," replied Lily.

"But I would like to know the answers," said James hopefully. "But only if it's really you."

Lily sighed. "This is getting confusing. Of course I'm really Lily Evans, ok, so let's just drop that."

"Right," said James slowly. "So what are you're favourite sweets and what do you want for Christmas?"

Lily looked at him. He looked serious. "Well, my favourite sweets are sugar quills…"

"Ok," said James, making a mental note to buy some from Honeydukes next time he was in Hogsmeade. "So what do you want for Christmas? It's in two months you know."

"Of course I know. I'm counting down the days."

"So what do you want?"

Lily gazed into space and said wistfully, "I would really like a silver clip for my hair that has emeralds on it. My mother says that it would suit my hair and eyes perfectly since she let me wear hers for a day. She has green eyes too." Lily paused then said, "It would be such a beautiful thing to own."

James didn't say anything.

The two reached the Great Hall. Lily spotted Nichloe and James spotted Sirius. They were sitting next to each other.

Nichloe waved at Lily and gestured for her to sit next to her.

Sirius smiled at James and motioned for him to sit on his right.

Lily sat down and took some toast. She spread butter on it and began to eat. She began to listen to Nichloe and Sirius' conversation.

"So, would you like to come with me tonight, Nichloe?"

Nichloe went pink then replied, "Yes, Sirius, I'd love to."

James leaned over and whispered into Sirius' ear, "What are you doing?"

"Project S. I. K."

"Am I allowed to bring a friend?"

Sirius looked a bit annoyed then said, "Yes, I suppose so. We'll just have to change it to Project S. I. C."

"Righto."

"Only if your friend accepts though."

"Oh, she will. If I put a broomstick ride into the offer." James leant back in his seat and called to Lily, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

Lily looked startled. "Nothing," she replied then kicked herself. Now he was going to ask her out and she had given him the opening!

"Do you want to come down to the kitchens with me, Sirius and…" James trailed off forgetting Nichloe's name.

"Nichloe," Lily prompted.

"Yeah, I knew that. So, do you want to come down to the kitchens with me, Sirius and Nichloe tonight?"

Nichloe looked at Lily in a way that clearly meant, 'You know you want to!'

Lily took a deep breath and a risk. "Yes, Potter, I do."


	7. Broomstick Offers and Snogs

**Chapter 7**

Lily followed James, Sirius and Nichloe nervously down to the kitchens that night.

Nichloe and Sirius were holding hands ahead of her.

Lily looked away and watched her feet as they plodded along the stone flooring.

"Here we are," said Sirius. They had reached a large painting of a bowl of fruit. Sirius reached up to tickle the pear.

It giggled loudly and turned into a handle.

Sirius reached up and turned it and the painting opened.

The four of them stepped inside the kitchen and were greeted by hundreds of house-elves.

"What would sirs and misses like today?" they chorused.

"A quiet dinner for four please," asked Sirius.

They were led into a small room which had a petite wooden table and chairs and a large fireplace on the wall.

Lily felt warm and happy in the fireplace's heat.

The house-elves sat them down at the table and rushed away to get food for them.

After a lengthy dinner and dessert, James, Sirius, Lily and Nichloe leaned back in their chairs and basked in the fireplace's warmth.

Then Sirius leaned over and whispered something in Nichloe's ear.

She giggled and turned crimson. "Ok," she said and she and Sirius stood up.

"We're just going to go somewhere, Prongs. See you," said Sirius and he and Nichloe left the kitchen.

"Project S. I. C.," muttered James.

"What on earth is that?" Lily asked.

"Project Snogging In Classroom."

Lily looked at James for a moment to see if he was teasing her or not. "Are you joking?"

"No, I think what I just said was the name of it."

"I mean, Sirius doesn't want to…snog Nichloe, does he?"

James shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. But he has had a crush on Nichloe for a long time."

James made a face. "Nichloe? What kind of weird name is that?"

"Her parents couldn't decide whether she should be Nicole or Chloe so they just combined the two," Lily said, as if James should have known that.

"Well, that's something I can tell Sirius when he gets back…**if** he gets back."

Lily stared at the rings on the table made from people sitting there and not using coasters for their drinks. "Do you come here often?"

James shrugged. "We come here pretty often, yeah. But I wouldn't say we make daily trips."

Lily continued to look at the rings.

"Lily…have you ever played truth or dare before?" James asked her.

Lily looked at James in disbelief. "Of course I have. Why?"

"Well, the others and I thought you and Nichloe might want to come up one night to our dormitory one night and play."

Lily laughed. "You're joking right?"

James looked serious. "No. So, do you want to come up one night? Tomorrow night?"

Lily still looked like she thought it was all a joke.

"You can have another go on my broom in the morning," James offered, hoping this would change her mind.

Lily's eyes sparkled. "Really? Then yes. As long as the broom ride offer still stands."

"Of course it does," said James, relieved that Lily was accepting.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning. Around nine?" said Lily.

"Around nine," confirmed James.

Lily walked back to Gryffindor Tower. When she reached her dormitory, she changed into her pyjamas and pulled back the sheets on her bed.

She yawned and lay down between the sheets.

Nichloe came bursting into the room, her cheeks flushed and a smile on her lips.

She did a sort of pirouette and sat on the end of Lily's bed. "Guess what?" she asked Lily.

"What?" replied Lily in a bored tone.

"Sirius and I kissed!" Nichloe squealed.

Lily blinked. "Did you kiss him or did he kiss you?"

"He kissed me!" said Nichloe excitedly. "And he invited me to play truth or dare with him and his other friends tomorrow night."

"Yeah, James invited me."

"Did you say yes, Lily? Did you?"

"Of course I did. Especially after he offered a ride on his broomstick tomorrow morning too."

"Oh Lily, I'm so proud of you! You're taking more risks now!"

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes!" said Nichloe and she hugged her friend. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"


	8. Truth, Dare and My Sweetheart

**Chapter 8**

Lily and Nichloe walked nervously up the boys' staircase late Sunday evening.

Lily had had so much fun that morning riding with James on his broomstick around the bright green Quidditch pitch.

But she wasn't sure she should be doing this. A game of truth or dare? What had she been thinking?

Nichloe knocked on the door.

"Who goes there?" came Sirius' voice.

"Nichloe Maces and Lily Evans," replied Nichloe to the door.

"Enter," said Sirius.

Nichloe pushed the wooden door open and the two girls found themselves in a boys' dormitory.

It was a mess, thought Lily.

"This place is a mess," said Nichloe, putting Lily's thoughts into words.

"We know," said James proudly. "But it's clean enough to play Truth or Dare."

The four boys and two girls sat in a circle on a clear spot of floor.

"I'll go first," said Sirius. "Nichloe."

Nichloe jumped and went pale."

"Truth or Dare?"

Nichloe was silent then said, "Truth," quietly.

"Hmmm…who do you hate most in all of Hogwarts?"

Nichloe looked relieved. "A girl in Hufflepuff called Sylvia Buena."

"Ok then," said Sirius; it was obvious he had no idea who this girl was.

"My go?" asked Nichloe. "Alright. Remus, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," said Remus bravely.

"A dare…tie your underpants to a stick and hang them out the window like a flag."

"Are you joking?" Nichloe looked serious so Remus picked out a pair of his underpants, tied them to a stick that Sirius had for some reason, and hung it out the window. "Done," he said sitting back down. "James…Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," he replied.

Lily was shocked. She had hardly heard of a boy who didn't pick Dare.

"Truth…if you were caught murdering a teacher, which teacher would you like to be murdering?"

James looked confused. "Well, I would love to murder stupid Professor Barnicoat. She is such a weirdo," he said, referring to the Divination teacher. He was silent for a moment then said, "Lily, Truth or Dare?"

Lily felt her stomach leave her. "Truth," she answered without thinking. It was a sort of automatic answer for her.

"Truth, eh? Well, who do you like in Hogwarts?"

"What do you mean?" asked Lily, playing the fool.

"Well, who in the whole of Hogwarts would you like to go out with?"

Lily knew he would say this. But she had to answer. "I like…" she said slowly, keeping them in suspense.

"Go on, Evans," said James, trying to get her to talk faster.

"I like…" Lily swallowed. "I like nobody," she finished quickly.

"You're sure, Evans?" asked James.

"Quite," she replied.

Nichloe gave Lily a questioning look.

She knew, Lily thought desperately. She had noticed the way she had been looking at him…she knew.

"It's your go, Lily," said Sirius.

"Oh," said Lily. "Peter, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," said Peter.

"Ok, you can…" Lily thought for a moment then said cunningly, "Kiss James on the cheek and say, 'Hello sweetheart, do you still love me?'"

Peter looked shocked at her dare. But he did it. With such a straight face too.

They all rolled around on the floor, laughing whilst James had the most scarlet face.

The six of them continued playing Truth or Dare, especially after Sirius brought out a few bottles of Never-Ending Butterbeer.

James dared Sirius to, "Lock yourself with Nichloe in that cupboard for seven minutes."

"Seven Minutes of Heaven," giggled Lily.

The two of them did so and came out looking quite dishevelled and Nichloe's hair had come out of its two braids.

They played Truth or Dare until 4 a. m. on Monday morning.

That was when James looked at his watch and told the two girls that they, "had better go before us boys do something stupid."

So Lily and Nichloe, both unable to stop loudly giggling, almost fell down the stairs and then up them as they found their way back to their dormitory.

They collapsed onto their beds, surrounded by baby photos of themselves, and after managing to stop giggling, fell asleep.

**Thanks to S. K., one of my BEST friends, who told me what Seven Minutes of Heaven was, which I used in this chapter.**


	9. Hangovers, Poems and New Pranks

**Chapter 9**

Lily woke up to a throbbing headache three hours later. "Oh, my head," she moaned.

"Try having mine," groaned Nichloe. Her face was pale. She looked at Lily sitting up in her bed. "Don't ask what **I** did this morning."

Lily blinked. "I don't think I want to know." She rubbed her temples. "I don't want to do lessons today."

"Me neither. I wonder how the boys are feeling?" said Nichloe.

Up in the boys' dormitory…

"Maybe that game of Truth or Dare wasn't such a good idea," growled Sirius. His head pounded.

"No it was a good idea," countered James. "Just not on a school night." He put his head in his hands.

"Too much exposure to girls or was the drinks?" asked Remus who seemed perfectly fine.

"Did you drink anything last night, Moony?" Sirius asked him.

"I had one bottle and that was enough for me. I don't need to drown my sorrows."

"Neither do I," said Sirius.

"Of course not, Padfoot," said Remus calmly, and rolled his eyes at James behind Sirius' back.

"What sorrows do I need to drown?" Sirius asked defensively.

"Well, how about the ones that are you being scared that Nichloe doesn't like you?"

"I'm not scared Nichloe doesn't like me."

"Of course not. How about the ones where you think James is jealous of you going out with Nichloe?"

"I'm not going out with Nichloe! And James isn't jealous, are you Prongs?" he said, turning to James.

James didn't meet his gaze.

"Prongs!" Sirius cried then clutched his head. "Ow. I shouldn't yell. Prongs, you're not jealous, are you?"

"No, I guess not, Padfoot."

Sirius looked slightly unassured. "Look Moony," he said turning back to Remus. "I was not drowning my sorrows last night. And that's final." Sirius picked up his robes for the day. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll try and drown myself…I mean have a shower." Sirius shook his head then walked into the bathroom. He locked the door behind him.

"Do you actually think he's gonna drown himself?" Peter asked.

"I doubt it," replied Remus. "He hasn't got the mental capacity to manage it."

"I heard that!" yelled Sirius from the bathroom.

"I doubt that too."

After the four of them had had their showers, they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

They met Lily and Nichloe at Gryffindor table.

Nichloe was pale and Lily's smile looked forced.

"How are you girls feeling today?" James asked them as they approached.

"Awful," replied Nichloe. "That is the last time I ever accept an offer to do anything with you lot on a school night."

"You've learnt your lesson well," said Sirius and he put his arm around Nichloe.

Nichloe smiled at him feebly.

Lily pulled out a small piece of parchment from her bag. She read it and her brows furrowed.

"Whatcha got there, Lily?" James asked, sitting down beside her.

Lily stuffed the piece of parchment back into her bag. "Nothing, Potter, nothing."

"Ok, if you're sure. But it looked like something to me." James reached out to the middle of the table for the scrambled eggs.

Lily let out a deep breath. What she had actually been looking at was a poem scrawled onto parchment.

"_Lily Evans, hair like red gold,_

_My love for you will never grow old."_

It was lame and corny, but Lily wondered who it was from. If she trusted her instincts, it was most likely James. But Lily wished it was someone else.

"Know who it is yet?" Nichloe asked her, bringing Lily out of her thoughts.

"Of course not, Nichloe. How am I supposed to work something out within a time limit of one hour?"

"I dunno, you're the brainiac."

Lily frowned and turned back to her breakfast. She wished she did know who it was.

The bell rang to signal the start of their first class for the day, which was Transfiguration.

Lily walked towards the classroom slowly, still unsteady on her feet.

But at least she still had her dignity.

Nichloe had fallen down, giggling, and was now leaning onto Sirius as a support beam. He was doing a good job, Lily thought.

But she would never sink that low.

Lily's thoughts wandered back to the poem in her bag. She still wished it was from someone else.

A fellow sixth year Ravenclaw walked past Lily and winked at her.

Lily was startled for a moment then smiled back at him. Whoever he was, he was cute, she thought.

When they reached Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall told them to come inside immediately. She had to leave the class for a few minutes, so they were all free to chat.

Nichloe, sitting next to Lily, asked her, "So who was that guy who winked at you, hmm?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. But maybe he sent this poem."

"Maybe."

The four Marauders, sitting behind the two girls, were listening to their conversation with interest.

"She got your poem then," said Sirius. "That third year is one to trust. You should use her again."

"Oh no," said James. "I'll use a different person each time. Harder to trace that way, Padfoot."

"Got any ideas for your next poem, Prongs?" Peter asked.

"I've got a few up my sleeve."

"Got any ideas for a prank on Snivellus?" Sirius asked; eager to trick the Slytherin they all hated.

"I've got a few up my sleeve for that one too."


	10. More Poems, Break Ups and Red Hair

**Chapter 10**

Lily woke to find a note on her bedside table. She picked it up eagerly and read it quickly.

"_Lily Evans, working so peacefully,_

_Sometimes I wonder how I fell in love so easily."_

Another poem! Lily thought. Whoever it was, they were a pretty corny poet. God, were they corny or what?

Nichloe stirred then sat up suddenly. "Lily?"

"Yes, Nichloe?"

"Have I done the right thing?"

"What right thing?" asked Lily, having no idea what her friend was talking about.

"Going out with Sirius. Should I be going out with him or focusing on my schoolwork like you?"

Lily groaned and shoved her face into her pillow. "I don't know, Nichloe. You're the one going out with him," she told her friend, her voice muffled.

"You're right," said Nichloe confidently. "I'm going downstairs." Nichloe dressed quickly then raced out of the dormitory.

Lily dressed too, but not as quickly as her friend. There was still two hours before school started.

When Lily went down into the common room, stuffing the poem into her bag, she found Sirius sitting in an armchair staring mournfully at the fireplace.

Lily had no idea what made her do it.

"Sirius? Are you alright?"

Sirius looked up at her with sad eyes. "No," he said sombrely, and then turned back to the fireplace.

Lily watched him for a moment. "Well, what's wrong?"

"Your friend," Sirius replied, spitting out the last word.

"Nichloe? What did she do?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. Except break up with me." With that, tears escaped from Sirius' eyes and he buried his face into the arm of his chair. He did not want Lily Evans of all people to see him crying over losing a stupid girl. Why was he crying anyway? That was something he couldn't work out.

Lily was shocked. "Nichloe broke up with you? Why?"

"She said I distracted her. I can't believe this. Why am I crying?"

"I dunno," replied Lily. "But I have to go. See you around."

Lily ran down the marble staircase, desperate to find Nichloe. She hoped it wasn't what she had said that made her do this. After all, it wasn't because she wanted to focus on her schoolwork that she didn't go out with anyone. That was just her excuse.

Lily found Nichloe in an empty classroom. Her strawberry blonde fell around her face and her normally sparkling blue eyes were dull.

"Nichloe? Have you been crying?"

"No," said Nichloe with a sniff and rub of her eyes.

Lily got straight to the point. "Did you break up with Black?"

"Yes," said Nichloe and more tears escaped from her eyes.

"Why?" Lily asked curiously.

"Because…because…because…I wanted to be more like you, I guess Lily. Focus completely and utterly on my schoolwork."

"Nichloe. You can still go out with Sirius and focus on your schoolwork. You just have to have balance as well. Like know when it's not the best time to be going out with Sirius when you have a big exam the next day…do you understand?"

Nichloe wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I do. Thanks Lily. You've been a big help. By the way, you should go out with James. You two would look so cute together."

Nichloe left the classroom.

Lily was left with her thoughts. (Again.)

**.x.x.x.**

James got out his Nimbus 1000. He thought that it might bring Sirius out of his sadness. He took it downstairs into the common room.

Sirius was still sitting mournfully on an armchair.

"Hey, look Padfoot. I got out my broomstick for an early morning joyride. Wanna come?"

Sirius shook his head wretchedly. He stared at the empty fireplace.

Nichloe came into the common room. "Sirius? Can I speak with you for a moment?"

James stood in front of his friend. "No way. You've broken his heart enough for today. Go up to your little dormitory and cry your little heart put because Sirius ain't coming back for you, no way in hell does he ever want to see you ever again…"

Sirius stepped under James' outstretched arms. "Course you can. Let's go outside, shall we?"

James just stood stupidly with his arms outstretched.

Lily scrambled through the portrait hole. She saw James' pose. "No Potter, I do not want a hug…I'm doing fine without one."

James suddenly realized Lily was in the room. He lowered his arms quickly to his sides. "I wasn't asking for a hug, I was protecting Sirius…well, trying to…"

"What's with the broom?" Lily asked him.

"Well, I was gonna take him for a joyride but then Nichloe came along so the idea went with him."

"I'll come for a joyride," said Lily eagerly. She loved the feeling riding a broomstick gave her.

James looked startled by her decision. "Um, well, ok then, we'd better go outside though…"

"Not that you would follow that rule though, eh, Potter?" Lily said remembering when he and Sirius had flown the broomstick up to her and Nichloe's dormitory.

James grinned and ran a hand through his already untidy black hair. "Right. But I figured you'd wanna follow it, so I must do as you command." James gave a clumsy bow that sent him toppling down the marble staircase.

Lily waited a couple of seconds then walked down calmly after him.

She found James trying to gather himself together at the bottom of the staircase. A group of fourth year girls walked past and giggled at the sight of him crumpled on the floor.

James picked himself up self-importantly and brushed down his robes.

"Always one for attention, aren't you Potter?" Lily asked him smiling, as she met him at the bottom.

"No," said James quickly and he shouldered his broomstick.

That sixth year Ravenclaw walked past Lily and winked at her.

Lily smiled shyly back.

"Lily, you've gone as red as your hair."

Lily turned on James; she hated it when people mentioned how red her hair was. "Really? And how red is that exactly? As red as this?" Lily raised her hand and slapped James' cheek.

James was taken aback. He touched his cheek where Lily slapped him. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked quietly.

Lily stalked off to the Great Hall.

She sat down at Gryffindor table and began to serve herself breakfast.

The Ravenclaw who had been admiring Lily came over and sat beside her. "Hello," he said. "My name's Joe Law. You're Lily Evans aren't you?"

Lily blinked. "Yeah, I am. How do you know me?"

"Professor McGonagall is always saying I'm just like you in Transfiguration class."

"How do you mean?" Lily wasn't good at Transfiguration. This might be the same for Joe.

"She says I have natural talent, but I don't know how to use it." Joe laughed. "I'm much more comfortable working at a cauldron personally."

Lily smiled at Joe. "Same here."

The two chatted then Joe said he'd better get back to his own table.

Lily waved good-bye and turned back to her breakfast. He was nice…very nice…

**.x.x.x.**

"Aah, just the man we wanted to see," said Sirius, nearing the Great Hall with James beside him and Remus and Peter on his other side. "_Snivelly._"

Severus Snape froze. He knew that tone of voice. They were gonna do something. He began to make a beeline for the Great Hall. But there were too many people and they were all crowding in together.

Snape was getting desperate. He could tell those four boys were gaining on him.

"Um, Sirius, he's sort of getting away."

"Remus, you have no idea of the factors that speed and a crowd can have. He's not going anywhere," said James with a smirk.

James got through the crowd easily and reached Snape first. He pushed him to the side where Sirius caught him and silenced him.

Peter and Remus hurried all of the students into the Great Hall, telling them something about there being a special strawberry breakfast surprise.

The crowd was gone in a flash with the promise of Strawberry Breakfast Surprise.

"Good work, Moony, Wormtail. Now, to business." James turned to Sirius. "How heavy's his book bag?"

"Pretty heavy," replied Sirius, struggling to lift the jam-packed bag.

"Moony, help him," James ordered.

The two boys lifted the bag high.

Snape was doing a silent mercy dance.

The bag fell heavily on Snape's head. He was knocked out instantly.

"It must have been heavy, knocking him out like that," commented James.

**.x.x.x.**

**Wow! Ten chapters! This calls for some celebration! **

**_Celebrate good times, come on plays._**

**I will.**

**Thanks to all my readers! Oh, and S. K. ….notice the name of Lily's Ravenclaw friend? Hehe!**

**I hope that all you people out there who have been reading this story faithfully and silently bugging me to update (I know you do it…I do at least coz I don't wanna sound rude by telling them.) are enjoying it. I know it hasn't actually been too funny so far, but I'm trying to fix that a bit. This chapter was a bit funnier…ok it was lame. But I thought it was funny! And isn't the author's thoughts all that matter? Nah…it's the readers who count! Isn't that right?**

**I have two other stories and a profile you know…so you can read those too! (And leave more of those warm fuzzy reviews!) (And questions…if you wanna ask me something and I'll put it on my profile too!)**

**Sites like this are great; they encourage people like you to continue reading! So keep on reading! It makes the world go round!**


	11. Detention, Escape and Joe

**Chapter 11**

"You're absolutely hopeless, you are Wormtail. Screaming and now we're in detention."

"Well, she just appeared, you know."

"Mr Potter, Mr Pettigrew, this is detention. You are not meant to be talking," said Professor McGonagall.

Peter hung his head.

The four Marauders had gotten caught just as they were about to carry out the highlight of their prank. Professor McGonagall had come around the corner, causing Peter to scream and landing the four of them in detention.

James sat glumly looking at the ceiling.

Sirius noticed a red hand mark on James' cheek. He leaned over and whispered, "Hey Prongs, what's on your cheek?"

"Evans slapped me."

"She slapped you? Why?"

"Because I said something about how her hair was red I s'pose. She's pretty touchy about it, I think."

"Must be."

There was a knock on the large wooden classroom door.

"Come in," Professor McGonagall said.

Lily entered the classroom. "Excuse me, but I'm here to escort James Potter to Professor Dumbledore's office."

"Whatever for, Miss Evans?"

"I'm not sure. I was just told to…"

"Alright. Potter, go with Miss Evans."

James stood up and went over to the door. He followed Lily out into the corridor and shut the door behind himself.

"Why do I have to see Professor Dumbledore?" James asked Lily.

"You don't."

"Then why…?"

"Don't you wanna get out of detention? I thought we could go to the kitchens and get a snack or two."

James had no idea what was going on. One minute, Lily was slapping him, the next; she's getting him out of detention. "Oh, uh, well, thanks Evans."

"You're welcome."

They reached the portrait of a large bowl of fruit. Lily reached up and tickled the green pear. It giggled and turned into a large handle. Lily turned it and pushed the shocked James inside. She came in after him and shut the portrait.

House-elves surrounded the two.

"Afternoon snacks, thanks guys," said Lily and the house-elves bowed and curtseyed off.

They came back quickly, laden with snacks to please Lily and James.

James collapsed to the ground and Lily sat beside him.

"This is so…so…so unlike you Lily," James said in the middle of eating a custard cream. "You lied to a teacher, and snuck down here with me…what's gotten into you?"

Lily smirked at him. "Don't you like this me that's unlike me?"

James looked confused. "I'm not sure," he said slowly.

Lily smiled.

**.x.x.x.**

That night, Lily found another poem on her bedside table.

"_Oh my, how fine is my Lily dear,_

_Taking risks on all she fears._"

It was cute, but now Lily knew it was James sending them. And she was just beginning to think that it was Joe. Oh well, she thought. I can still go out with him.

Lily stretched and flopped on her bed. She couldn't wait for the weekend.

**.x.x.x.**

"Did she get it Nichloe?" James asked her urgently when Nichloe came back into the common room.

"Looks like it. She looked pretty pleased then fell asleep."

"Has she been getting them all?"

"Course she has. You pick good contacts to deliver."

"I know," said James very immodestly.

"Come on Nichloe. It's special spot time," said Sirius.

Nichloe blushed red and followed Sirius out the portrait hole.

Lily lay peacefully on her bed, her red hair surrounding her, oblivious to all going on downstairs.

**.x.x.x.**

**Hello all my faithful readers! Sorry it's taken a little while to get this up and running…I got banned from the internet, again. **

**By the way, I can't fix it in the actual chapter, so here goes…many apologies to V. K. for saying that S. K. told me what Seven Minutes of Heaven was. It was actually you, V. K. and I'm sorry. But you know…my memory ain't what it used to be…and that Holiday From Hell…I just want to sort of forget all of it.**

**Keep reading and reviewing folks!**


	12. Serena, Walks, Anger and the New Pair

**Chapter 12**

Lily had just sat down at Gryffindor's table on Saturday morning when she was approached by a Ravenclaw girl whom she didn't know. She looked nice though, with dark brown hair and eyes.

"Um, excuse me. Are you Lily Evans?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am. Do you want something?" Lily replied.

"Can we go for a walk?"

Lily nodded and they walked outside into the courtyard.

"My name's Serena by the way." She paused. "I've noticed that you've been talking to Joe Law lately."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I have."

"Well, I just thought that you might like to know that **I **like him and **I **liked him first. So hands off," she said harshly.

Lily was taken aback. "We've just been talking, it's nothing…"

Serena took a tight hold onto Lily's sleeve. She glared at her fiercely. "Don't touch him. He's mine. You don't even like him, do you? Do you?" she said again and shook Lily slightly.

Lily was surprised by the girl's strength. "No, I guess I don't. Not at all," she said as Serena gave her another death glare.

Serena let go of her sleeve. "Glad we got that sorted out. Nice to meet you, Lily," she said cheerfully and left Lily standing in the courtyard.

Nichloe came running out to meet Lily. "Is this where you've been? I've been looking for you." She grabbed Lily's arm. "Come on." She pulled Lily back into the castle.

"What…what are we doing?" Lily asked, still being pulled around by Nichloe through the corridors.

"Going for a walk. Maybe we can discuss our lives."

Lily pulled her arm away from Nichloe and stopped dead still. "What lives? I have no life. I have no friends, no purpose…sometimes I have to wonder if I was only put on this Earth to give Potter someone to annoy!" Lily whipped around and took off down the corridor.

"What am I? An acquaintance?" Nichloe called after her. Then she raced after her. "What about how you've been acting? You suddenly slap Potter just 'cause he says something about your red hair…"

Lily spun around and Nichloe ran into her. "How do you know about that?" she asked quietly.

Nichloe realized she shouldn't have said anything. "Know about what?" she asked innocently.

Lily stared at Nichloe with her green eyes. "How did you know that I slapped Potter?"

"Um, well, you see…"

"You're friends with him 'cause you're going out with his best mate, aren't you? Nichloe, how could you? I thought you were with me against him."

"That isn't the point Lily!"

Lily suddenly realized something. "You're the one who's been giving me those poems from him, aren't you?"

Nichloe was slightly confused. "How did you know they were from him and not that Joe guy?"

"Well, I took a risk in front of him right? And the next poem was about me taking a risk."

"Was it?"

"Don't act like you're stupid, Nichloe."

"I'm not! And these mood swings!"

"What mood swings?"

"Well, you slap Potter then you suddenly get him out of detention by lying to a teacher! What's gotten into you Lily?" Nichloe asked more quietly.

Lily collapsed onto the ground, her robes spilling out around her. She put her head in her hands. "I don't know," she said quietly, so quietly Nichloe almost didn't hear her.

Nichloe sat beside her on the cold stone floor. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I suppose…it's 'cause…well…I think I like Potter."

Nichloe searched her friend's face. It was deadly serious. "You do?"

Lily turned to the floor again. "Like I said. I think. I don't really know. I just wish he would get himself together and act like somebody normal."

"It's Potter, Lily," Nichloe said, smiling. "He'll never be normal."

Lily smiled sadly. "I know."

"So is this why…?"

"I guess I'm trying to impress him. But I don't think it's working."

"Lily," Nichloe said softly. "You impressed him before you were doing all this."

Lily met Nichloe's blue eyes. "I was?"

Nichloe nodded. "Now you're just confusing him."

"I am?"

Nichloe nodded again and the two friends laughed.

"I think I'm going to go talk to Potter," Lily said, getting up and brushing off her robes.

"He'll probably be up in the common room. Have you ever seen how fast he and Sirius eat?"

Lily grinned. "I'll see you later," she said, walking towards Gryffindor Tower.

**.x.x.x.**

James sat in an armchair. He felt a bit sad since he hadn't seen Lily at breakfast.

At that moment, Lily scrambled through the portrait hole.

James jumped to his feet. "Lily! I wanted to ask you something…"

"Yes, James?" Lily asked calmly.

James was silent for a moment. Lily had used his first name. "Um, I was wondering if you'd like to come to Hogsmeade this weekend with me."

Lily looked at James. "Yeah, I would James. That'd be nice."

James was stunned. "Yes?"

"Yes," Lily said smiling and she kissed James.

James put his arms around her and leaned in for more.

Nichloe came through the portrait hole just in time to see her best mate and James Potter kiss.

Sirius stood next to her and put his arm around her. "I suppose you had a part in this."

"Sort of," Nichloe replied, still watching the pair. "I helped her realize that she wanted to do this. Otherwise, it was her idea."

Lily and James broke apart.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend now?" James asked, hardly daring to believe it.

Lily smiled shyly. "I guess so." She paused. "For now."

James grinned then understood her last comment. "Hey…"

Lily poked her tongue out and ran out through the portrait hole.

James took off after her. "Lily!"

**.x.x.x.**

**Hello again! This is, yes, sadly the end. It's been good while it lasted though, hasn't it? I enjoyed writing it, that's for sure. Especially Lily's frustration in this chapter. That was good. **

**I hope all you, my faithful readers, enjoyed it as much I did. Please review, if you've been holding off until the end of the story to do so.**

**And for any of you readers out there unsure of how to pronounce Nichloe's name, it's Ni-chloe, like a combination of Nicole and Chloe. I quite like that name, so if I write another FanFic story where Lily has a friend, you might see her turn up again.**

**Keep reading my friends and virtual hugs for all!**


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